Cornerstone Films is the next company to try and crack open a remake of the 1980s supernatural classic The Changeling.
Cornerstone has partnered with Tom Tykwer’s Berlin-based X Filme (Run Lola Run, Cloud Atlas) on the project, which is based on the 1980 feature from director Peter Medak that starred George C. Scott.
“The new film shifts the action from the U.S. to Venice, Italy. After the death of his young daughter, musician Joe Carmichael returns to his childhood home in Italy. But he finds the house is haunted by the spirit of a dead child and begins to uncover a terrifying family secret.”
Daredevil and Ghost Rider director Mark Steven Johnson will write and get behind the camera for the remake, says THR. Casting is underway, and production is set to begin in Venice in early 2019.
The decision to remake The Changeling is a no-brainer, especially with the resurgence of supernatural horror, thanks to the Conjuring universe. While remakes can be tiring, Changeling carries several unique set pieces that make it ripe for reinterpretation.
Joel Michaels, who produced the original Changeling and whose credits include Terminator: Salvation and Lolita, will produce the remake with Uwe Schott and Stefan Arndt of X Filme. Cornerstone toppers Thompson and Mark Gooder will executive produce. Michaels is now producing Bart Freundlich’s U.S. remake of Susanne Bier’s After the Wedding, starring Julianne Moore and Michelle Williams, which Cornerstone is selling in Cannes.
